Brand Management
To understand and provide for different needs, consumers should be segmented into logical groups that can be easily understood and provided for. In working with groups of consumers, key questions include:

• What are the key consumer groups in my market? Which is the largest?
• What is the logical segmentation for my market?
• Who am I reaching?

Socio demographic information can be used to better understand your consumers and develop more effective marketing and promotion strategies. Fundamental questions include:

• Who is buying my brand / category?
• Who are the heavy category buyers?
• Which buyer groups drive seasonality?
• Which buyer groups respond to marketing activity?

Brands have personalities that can scream quality, great taste, real value or other attributes. Through marketing and sales techniques, it is possible to improve and change consumers’ perceptions of a brand. Knowing how consumers view your brand is critical to developing the brand. Major questions include:

• Why do consumers choose my brand?
• Do consumers understand what my brand stands for?
• How do consumers perceive my brand?

Category Management & Sales Management
Understanding the profile of retail shoppers and how they match against a category’s demographics will make for smarter category marketing. Category Managers will seek ways to leverage the category at the retailer level by understanding the behavior of different types of shoppers. Areas to examine include:

• Who are heavy category buyers?
• How do high spending / loyal store shoppers differ from infrequent shoppers?
• How much do certain buying groups spend in a retailer?
• Where are the demographic opportunities?

Consumer Purchasing Dynamics
Most brand strategies are aimed at attracting more buyers and achieving higher purchasing rates. Therefore, understanding the make-up of consumers and the dynamics of their purchasing is key to achieving success.

To fully understand Consumer Purchasing Dynamics, it’s important to understand what goes on beneath consumer purchasing – what drives buyers to make their decisions, how they feel about their choices and ultimately what they plan to do with their purchase. Key issues include:

• Why do customers purchase my brand?
• How do they use different brands in the category?
• What motivates consumer to purchase?
• What is my brand personality and how does it compare to the competition?